14 February 2013

Review: Touch of Power - Maria V. Snyder

Laying hands upon the
injured and dying, Avry of Kazan assumes their wounds and diseases into
herself. But rather than being honored for her skills, she is hunted.
Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated
the Territories, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos.

Stressed
and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who,
shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her
capture. Their leader, an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his
own, is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken
prince—leader of a campaign against her people. As they traverse the
daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry
must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for. Because
the price of peace may well be her life...

My review of Touch of Power (5*):

Maria V.
Snyder might just be my new favourite author right now. She writes such vivid,
magical and captivating stories and Touch of Power had me fixated from the
beginning.I was
completely mesmerised by the highly dramatic story, fixating characters and fantasy
setting and couldn’t do anything except read, read and read some more as if I
was in a trance. I was constantly kept on my toes, on the edge of my seat. The
storyline was utterly engrossing with a fast paced plot and I was taken on a
dangerous, exciting and action packed adventure. From the first page I was
sucked into the story and didn’t come up for air until the last page.

Touch of
Power was an amazing fantasy story and I loved each and every moment. It was
unique. I loved the world, the magical elements, the fast paced plot and the
amazing, fleshed out characters. The narrative was completely immersive and
instantly drew me in. What I loved the most was learning things as Avry and the
other characters did. There were secrets, betrayals, lies and surprises waiting
to ambush at every corner. Touch of Power was definitely a roller coaster
journey emotionally and I loved every moment.

Touch of
Power begins with the introduction of Avry, a healer who is in hiding after the
Healer’s Guilds persecution, after being blamed for the outbreak of the plague.
Incarcerated awaiting execution, Avry is kidnapped from her cell by a group of
mysterious men who have been searching for her for quite some time. Forced to
follow them, Avry learns that she is needed to heal someone who she despises;
Prince Ryne who first blamed the Healer’s for the deadly plague therefore
cementing their fates and deaths. Avry is thrust into a world of danger,
mystery, betrayal and unlikely friendship.

To make
you care for characters in just a few hundred pages is an amazing thing and Snyder does it to perfection. As I read on through the book I quickly came to love the main characters, our
fiery protagonist and her band of protectors. I adored Belen and his protective
ways, Kerrick and his dark, brooding attitude, Flea with his cheeky nature and
Loren and Quain with their scrappy personalities. I grew to love each and every
one of them.

I loved
Avry. She is strong, brave and feisty but
she also has a softer, more compassionate side. With healing magic running
through her veins she feels the urge to heal, either friend or foe. She also
has a stubborn side and is fiercely independent. She was the perfect female
protagonist. As a reader I felt that I instantly bonded with her and grew
to adore her as a person. I can’t wait to see how she develops further in Scent
of Magic.

I really loved Kerricks character too. At first he comes across as a stubborn
and rude man but as the story progresses it becomes clear that there is another
layer to his complex character. His loyalty to his men and Prince Rhyne is
obvious, showing him to be a devoted, compassionate and honourable man underneath his tough
exterior. Kerrick
and Avrys relationship was extremely amusing, tempestuous, fiery and full of
tension. It was refereshing watching their relationship develop over a period of time, growing in depth and respect. I loved how the story ended and can't wait to see how their relationship develops in the future.

The central
villain of the story, Tohon was creepy, sadistic and just super twisted. Dominating,
monstrous and callous, he completely freaked me out with his brutal nature and
cold, calculating personality. There are also some chilling scenes in the book
with the introduction of some deathly 'things' that really sent a shiver down my
spine. I’m looking forward to seeing how things play out in the next book with
the knowledge that such things exist.

The
fantastical world that Snyder created – the Fifteen Kingdoms – was both realistic
and magical, with a mix of fantastical elements and a dark story. After a merciless
plague ravaged the land, ruthlessly killing a huge percentage of the
population, the world descended into chaos. The land is in turmoil and
loyalties and confrontations arise and war is brewing on the horizon. One of
the elements that I loved most was the descriptions of a world, the forests and
nature in general. Everything just seemed so real, so sensual and so alive. I
felt as if I could touch and feel the leaves, hear the wind whistling through
the trees and feel the forest beneath my feet. Snyder brought the Fifteen
Kingdoms to life with completely immersive and magical descriptions.

Touch of
Power was simply amazing. A unique and magical fantasy story, I was completely
sucked in, adored the characters, feared the villains and loved the fantastical world. I can’t wait to see how
the characters develop in the next book and where the story leads. It was just
a completely engrossing read and had phenomenal characters. I absolutely loved
it!

2 comments:

I read this one recently and I loved it too! It was so incredible and I loved everything about it, especially Avry and Kerrick's relationship and the whole concept of the Death and Peace Lilies. Great review, can't wait to hear what you think about Scent of Magic.